AXIS FormulaLink is officially released with AXIS version 2017.15.01. This is a module offering a set of features and tools in AXIS and AXIS EnterpriseLink for advanced programmability in AXIS Formula Tables, Dataset Formulas and EnterpriseLink Scripted Jobs.

What Is AXIS FormulaLink?

AXIS FormulaLink is a module offering a set of features and tools in AXIS and AXIS EnterpriseLink for advanced programmability in AXIS Formula Tables, Dataset Formulas and EnterpriseLink Scripted Jobs.

It offers the following functionality:

Powerful script editing capabilities

Support for object oriented programming

Advanced debugging features

Formula Libraries with Version Control

Integration with custom (user-created or 3rd party) libraries

Integration with external systems

FormulaLink core runtime engine is designed to replace the current scripting engine for all AXIS users and act as a foundation for transitioning AXIS to a 64-bit code base.

FormulaLink advanced functionality (please refer to the table in the next section) will be available under a separate license.

AXIS FormulaLink Feature Set

Feature

Available with base AXIS license

Available with FormulaLink license

New Formula script editor with color coding, IntelliSense and auto-completion

Yes

Yes

Editor for global declarations, functions and classes

No

Yes

Support for global declarations and classes

No

Yes

Support for additional .NET Framework namespaces

No

Yes

New integrated debugger for compiled code

Yes

Yes

Debugging with Visual Studio

No

Yes

Direct referencing .NET DLLs

No

Yes

Formula Tables Library in EnterpriseLink

No

Yes

EnterpriseLink side scripting

Basic

Advanced

Support for C# syntax in Formula Tables

No

Yes

AXIS FormulaLink Features Explained

New Formula script editor with color coding, IntelliSense and auto-completion

With a FormulaLink license the auto-completion feature is fully .NET aware and can list members, methods and properties of classes from the referenced assemblies.

Editor for Global Declarations and Classes

New Formula Table script editor windows provide the ability to develop classes for use in the main Formula Table code, to declare functions in external Win32 DLLs, to code local subs and functions, and to reference external .NET assemblies.

Classes programmed in this container become available in the main Formula Text window with the editor fully aware of their members, methods and properties.

This feature is only available with a FormulaLink license.

Support for Additional .NET Framework Namespaces

Core .NET Framework assemblies are included as references at edit/compile time. Functionality that allows adding references to additional .NET Framework namespaces (e.g. System.Data.SqlClient) is available with a FormulaLink license.

New Integrated Debugger for Compiled code

A new debugger integrated in the AXIS version package replaces the built-in interpreter mode debugger. It attaches to an AXIS process and allows you to step through .NET compiled code of the Formula Table or the Dataset Formula.

A special interface to Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 or above allows for debugging Formula Table code using its fully featured debugger (VB.NET or C#).

This feature is only available with a FormulaLink license and requires the user to license Visual Studio directly from Microsoft or its authorized re-sellers.

This mode provides access to many powerful features including:

Conditional breakpoints

Advanced watch window (Autos, arrays, expressions, etc.)

Advanced mouse “hover over” values preview, etc.

Profiling and diagnostics tools (Visual Studio 2015 or above)

Directly Referencing .NET DLLs

This provides an ability to reference .NET DLLs located in a specified directory, dataset folder or AXIS version folder. Also provided is the ability to natively use classes from the referenced assemblies in the Formula Table script without having to expose them as COM.

This feature is available with a FormulaLink license only.

Formula Tables Library in EnterpriseLink

Now provided is a fully featured formula development area under the control of AXIS EnterpriseLink. A Formula Tables Library provides tools to create, edit, compile and test re-usable class libraries that can be used as plug-ins to Formula Tables in AXIS model datasets.

The tool set includes the following:

Role based library management interface

Code editor with color coding, line numbering, auto-completion and IntelliSense-like features

Integration with EnterpriseLink Version Control for change tracking and promotion to production (plug-in rules)

This feature is available starting in AXIS EnterpriseLink version 6.0.101 with a FormulaLink license only.

EnterpriseLink Side Scripting (available from AXIS EnterpriseLink version 5.1.101)

A new type of EnterpriseLink Job – “EnterpriseLink Script” is being introduced. Unlike the currently available “AXIS Script” type job that runs in AXIS, the EnterpriseLink Script job runs on EnterpriseLink allowing for native access to the model dataset management functionality and Version Control capabilities, while providing functions to run AXIS jobs locally on an EnterpriseLink server or submit jobs to queues in AXIS GridLink on-premise or cloud based farms.

Support for C# syntax in Formula Tables

The ability to script Formula Libraries in C# as an alternative to VB.NET is available in AXIS EnterpriseLink version 6.0.101 with a FormulaLink license.